The Gang's Favourite Clips
To view these video clips you will need realplayer

Other clips:
Ma, Da, Cal, Dympna, Billy, Uncle Andy

Marty Reid / Uncle Andy's favourite clips
Watch the clip

My first one is from the last series - series 4 episode 7 "Death in Divis". It involves Red Hand Luke and it's a favourite of mine for all the wrong reasons. During a very complicated scene Red Hand Luke (played by Dan Gordon) is suppose to burst through Uncle Andy's front door screaming and roaring smash a bit of the living room, proceed into the kitchen smash some more stuff, come out of the kitchen, smash a tray over his head and the lift the sofa up in the air as if to throw it and then stop and say his line. Now we only had one tray and needed to do the scene in one take. It all started well. Dan burst through the front door ranting more than usual, sent pictures flying in the living room, dashed into the kitchen and started smashing it up, came out, smashed the tray over his head, then lifted the sofa turned to me and said, "Sorry I forgot want I was going to say". To be fair to Dan I was in stitches.

Watch the clip
Next favourite has got to be on the bridge in Ballykissangel, Series 1 Episode 1, "The Long Marching Season". There has just been a torrential rain storm and it was a freezing cold night and we had to sit on opposite ends of the Ballykissangel bridge. We were frozen, and then in the script it said that it started to rain very heavily. In order to achieve this the props guys had rigged a contraption that pumped water from the river and sprayed it over us. Now the river water was freezing as well. When the water hit me the cold shock was so bad I could hardly speak. I think it shows on the clip. There are only two times in my life (so far) that I have nearly got hypothermia and both of them were working on Give My Head Peace. Thanks Lads.

Michael McDowell / Billy's favourite clips:
Watch the clip

Hollywood on the Falls Episode 2 First series. Mitch Morgan a top American actor has arrived to research his role as Gerry Adams in the forthcoming blockbuster bio pic. Problem is he has blond hair, no beard and a coke habit. Cal works with Mitch as his unofficial voice coach and after they've practiced for a bit Mitch performs to Da and Ma. he runs through the gamut of Northern Ireland phrases from "Do you think I came up the Lagan in a bubble" to "Is this black hack going to Twinbrook or what?" Mitch's accent hasn't changed one jot. Da looks up from his tea and says "Ready when you are."

Watch the clip
Bonfire of the Insanities Episode Six Third series. Uncle Andy is revealing his plans to celebrate a thousand years of Protestantism. Dympna points out that Protestantism was only founded by Martin Luther in the sixteenth century so it might be difficult to celebrate a thousand years. Uncle Andy aided by Mervyn relates his take on the struggles of the Ulster Protestant against the persecution of the Catholic church taking us through such key figure as Neil Armstrong and Martin Luther King.

Ali Ford / Dympna's favourite clips:
Watch the clip

Sun, sea, sangria and serious hard work - yes, it can only be the Christmas special of 1999. Shot on location on the beautiful Costa Del Sol, xxx, certainly had its funny moments, not all of them captured on film! My favourite clip is the scene in which we are all trying to escape from the Spanish Police at Malaga Airport. Typically the blokes are running on ahead leaving poor Ma and Dympna to heave all the heaviest luggage. As we all career through the crowds of holiday makers, Ma valiantly tries to keep up working her little legs twice as hard as anyone else. Olivia was brilliant still laughing even after the fifth take (and those bags really were heavy!).

Watch the clip
With "Popstar" mania sweeping the country, another favourite clip has to be when Dympna has her moment of glory at the Waterfront Hall. It was series 4 episode 4 "Fame". Dympna and Billy arrive, glammed up to the nines in a stretch limo and are greeted by the paparazzi Dympna basking in the limelight. Little does she realise that her singing debut is actually in a freak show! She ends up weeping on Billy's shoulder, leaving the Waterfront in disgrace with a blanket over her head. Those fifteen minutes of fame can't end too soon!

Tim/ Da's fave clips:
Watch the clip

Series 3 Episode 3 Saving Ryan's daughter. Cal has a shotgun wedding to the daughter of Ryan a notorious South Armagh Republican. Ma Da and Ryan are standing outside the church. Ryan has an impossibly large family. A van pulls up and 24 (literally) young men looking identical in leather jackets get out the back and file past into the church. The last Ryan boy is fatter than the rest and sucking a lolly but the mysterious Mrs Ryan is not there so Ma naturally asks where she is. She's in hospital having a baby. Ryan reveals he's hoping for a boy. It looks very funny and has a great punchline.

Watch the clip
Series 2 Episode 6 The Sectarian candidate. During an election campaign John Hume visits Divis. Ma has to beat him away from the door with a brush as Hume launches into his interminable single transferable speech.

Damon / Cal's Fave clips
Watch the clip

A Fairy Tale of New York Christmas 2000 special. It's the scene when Da and Cal meet up in New York with Fr O'Brien, the mad Irish Priest. The scene was shot in McSorley's Old Ale House, a vintage Irish pub in Manhattan and contains some classic dialogue.

Fr O'Brien: "Does Molly Malone still wheel her wheelbarrow crying cockles and mussels alive! Alive Oh!"
Cal: "Eh not really. She's dead"
Fr O'Brien: "Oh my God I didn't know.... I suppose the Brits killed her!"

The American actor playing Fr O'Brien was appearing on Broadway in AMADEUS with David McCallum but he liked the part so much that he took time out to play it. He made the right decision because his performance is hilarious.

Watch the clip
Series 2, The Sectarian Candidate
My number one favourite clip has to be the "thriller" sequence in The Sectarian Candidate, the election special from series two. The scene features Da, transformed in to a zombie a la Michael Jackson and dancing with corpses in the graveyard. Tim was quite frankly the stupidest idea we'd ever had. Tim in particular thought that we were making a grave (sorry)! Mistake.

The scene was shot in a mock graveyard with polystyrene headstones at three O'clock in the morning. Tim as Da is made up as a zombie with zombies dancing around him to the tome of "Thriller". Tim's thinking "my career's ruined" while Michael and I are on the floor laughing.

Olivia Nash / Ma's fave clips
Watch the clip

Christmas special 1999 with Ma leaving the airport in Spain, following on with bags. This is just a typical day for Ma. Even on holiday she brings up the rear.

Watch the clip
Christmas Special 2000 when Ma is told that she is not going to New York. Ma's initial reaction is great, when Ma snaps the family better watch out!

To view these video clips you will need realplayer. If you do not aready have a copy you can download a free copy from realplayer (basic version) site. Click on the link below